While industrialists pitched for Narendra Modi's role at the national level, the very vocal Gujarat Chief Minister claimed that he was 'unperturbed' by the issue of him being projected as one of BJP's prime ministerial candidate and wanted to focus only on Gujarat.
During an interaction with members of the All India Management Association (AIMA) here on Friday, Modi said that he has grown to become 'nirvikar' (unperturbed) and was not disturbed by external distraction or criticisms. Modi said this when he was asked by one of the AIMA members on his role in national level politics. "If you think that I am successful it is because of important parameter - focused activity. My main focus as of now is the six crore people of Gujarat. I do not want to digress from this," he said.
His statement comes a day after president Nitin Gadkari spelt out the six Prime Ministerial candidates in BJP.
"People who are actively doing yoga and more particularly pranayam will be well aware that when they do 'pranayam', gradually you don't feel birds chirping around and other noises. For them it doesn't make any difference if there is bright light or its dark. They become 'nirvikar'. In the same way I am 'nirvikar' about all those issue," Modi when asked about his becoming Prime Minister.
Gadkari had on Thursday said that Modi was one of the six PM candidates from BJP along with L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi. Earlier, Advani had written on his blog that after next general elections there was a possibility of non-Congress, non-BJP prime minister.
While interacting with Modi most of the members of AIMA enthusiastically pitched for Modi role at the Centre as most of their questions were centered on Modi's much larger ambitions and if he was willing to take on larger role at the Centre or not. However, all of the questions were skillfully skirted by Modi.
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The chief minister also took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said, "At present when whole world is looking towards either India or China as a next big economic player and China has build 50000 skill development centres for strengthening their country our Prime Minister is talking about only 500 skills."
"I have pointed this out to our PM but I think he is busy in some other work," he added.
AIMA vice president and MD, Apollo Hospital Enterprises Preetha Reddy was strongly favoring Modi as next PM. She also said that the time has come that Modi should belong to 1.3 billion people of the country rather than on six crore Gujaratis. "Gujarat is now on auto pilot. The Nation needs you now," she asserted.